Welcome to the Sky Opener project website.

SKYOPENER INTEGRATION OF REMOTELY PILOTED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS INTO CIVILIAN AIRSPACE TO ALLOW NEW SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS

By addressing the redundancy of communication systems through the provision of a command and control link that uses communication through multi-band satellite and radio, SKYOPENER will increase the civilian applications for RPAS. It will also feature a surveillance system with detect and avoid functions that will be based on GNSS, system wide information management and satellite communication. Such a system will be less costly, less complex, lighter and easier to implement than those using mode-S tran-sponders. These developments will widen the market for civilian applications for RPAS.

Through the SKYOPENER project, the ViaSat-led consortium will contribute to the definition of a system that tackles safety, security and privacy issues arising with the operation of RPAS in civilian airspace. The vision is for economical, efficient and beneficial civilian applications of RPAS from infrastructure surveillance, search and rescue, and agricultural monitoring made possible with UTM system operations.

Background

The European aviation community currently exchange views on how, and under which conditions, drones can offer new services and applications going beyond traditional aviation and offer the promise to perform existing services in a more affordable and environmentally friendly way.
Until recently, RPAS have been used mainly in support of military operations, largely in segregated airspace. RPAS operators are now seeking greater freedom of access to airspace, and as a result they will increasingly interact with Air Navigation Service Provider.
SKYOPENER will enable the use of RPAS for civilian applications by contributing to the roadmap for the integration of civil RPAS into non-segregated airspace. In this context, the use EGNOS and GALI-LEO is a major opportunity to provide enhanced navigation services in terms of integrity and positioning accuracy.
SKYOPENER will develop a system and operational processes that will reduce all categories of risks associated with RPAS and allow an ANSP (Air Navigation Service Provider) to manage Very Low Level (VLL) RPAS operations.

SKYOPENER will develop a complete and scalable system to manage the full opera-tional process that starts with an initial mission request prepared by the final customer, and that ensures the manage-ment of air traffic during all phases of VLL, below 500 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) RPAS operations. SKYOPENER will take into account the European roadmap, by focusing on RPAS that are less than 25-30 kilos since they are the first platforms that can be integrated into the non-segregated airspace. Those platforms are specifically designed for civilian applications.
The newly developed system will be the result of the integration of a range of components which will innovatively combine technologies such as EGNSS, Sat-Com, and security features such as a secure waveform.

SKYOPENER will have an impact on the management by ANSP of the increasing number of requests to fly RPAS in non-segregated airspace by developing the elements required in order to operate RPAS specific operations.
– SKYOPENER will drive towards an advanced and promising surveillance solution combining EGNSS and SAT-COM
– SKYOPENER will contribute to the definition of key components of RPAS CNS system and RPS as well.
– SKYOPENER will demonstrate added value of specific RPAS operations through the e-TOD use case for the improvement of navigation services for the overall civil aviation.
– SKYOPENER will impact research work in the field of LiDAR